Description:

Esther's Hawick companion sampler is one of the sadder ones, with a fair amount of moth damage and darkening of the wool ground. Her house was once pink, which is faintly visible in pictures of the reverse side. The cheneille of her lawn does appear to have started as a brown hue, and it has only darkened over time. The floral vine and central flower along the top are still in good shape and relatively vibrant. As with Eliza Henderson, her familial initials (IS, TS, RO, WO, CO, WI, IS, TD, RS, IO, RS, RS, AI, AO, RD, IS, WS) flank the house and are below the willow trees with varigated leaves. 

Size (W x H): 13 1/4 x 15 3/8 inches

Stitches: Cross, satin, stem, cross-over-one, turkey work

Media: Silk on linen

Genealogy:

Robert Smith and Isabel Ormstone/Ormistone registered the birth of their daughter Esther 10 September 1791 in Wilton, Roxburghshire. Records only show one sibling, Robert (1794). Paternal grandparents were Robert Smith and Alison Irwin. Maternal grandparents were Adam Ormstone and Esther Douglas.

Other familial initials match:
RS - paternal grandfather Robert Smith
AI - paternal grandmother Alison Irwin
AO - maternal grandfather Adam Ormstone
ED - maternal grandmother Esther Douglas

Verse:

ON VIRTUE

VIRTUE is the chiefest beauty of the mind
The noblest ornament of humankind
Virtue is our safeguard and our guiding Star
That stirs up Reason when our Sensces eRR

ESTHER SMITH HAWICK MARCH 10th 1803